Saturday, December 2, 2017

Ganzo Firebird FB7601 - Probably my favorite Ganzo ever!

Got this knife a while ago and am now ready (even long overdue) to write a review on it.So, this time I ordered 2 versions of the same Ganzo knife in order to compare between the different versions - the black G10 variant and the CF laminate one.Both were very similar in terms of quality, so this review will refer to both.Gotta admit - the G10 knife was traded with a friend of mine, that liked it so much that he was willing to trade the much more expensive Kershaw Induction (with a Hawk lock) for it.

First impressions:The Ganzo FB7601 comes with a standard Ganzo Firebird branded box with a microfiber cloth.The quality out of the box was excellent with both - no fit and finish screwups, no bladeplay, centered blade, sharp edge (was made even sharper using a strop) and the best part - very smooth action on bearings and soft lock springs, that make it feel like a much higher class knife.I disassemble almost every knife I get in order to clean it inside and make it smoother - but didn't feel like I need to do that with this one and in fact I haven't disassembled it till this day.The Good:- Fit and finish: amazing overall quality considering the price.- Good ergonomics that will fit most hand sizes.- Skeletonized liners for weight reduction.- The looks are pretty great (considering this is an original Ganzo design).- The price, considering the qualities.- Steel is Ganzo's 440c, nothing fancy, but a decent budget steel.

The Great:- The action: very smooth and has great opening and closing (uses ball bearings in the pivot).Falls shut when the G-Lock is disengaged.- The lock springs are much less stiff (out of the box) comparing to the older Ganzo Firebird models and could be operated with using one finger.(Have to make a remark here: I ordered another FB7601CF to give away in a GAW and the springs were stiffer than on the first 2 I got (got better with time though). So this can change from batch to batch).- A deep carry pocket clip that has great stiffness and doesn't look like the BM one.- Finally - a Ganzo Firebird that isn't a direct copy of any model known to me.Some could even say - ORIGINAL DESIGN.Many of us wanted it - and now - here it is!

The Bad:- The stop pin consists of 2 parts - the actual stop pin and a metal tube that goes over it.I would prefer it to be one single part.- Not a con, but more of a suggestion for improvement - Ganzo, please consider coating the thumb studs, the hardware, the pocket clip and the G-Lock tab in black, that could really take your knives to the next level. I like the blue, but would like to see something new.- The clip couldn't be reversed for left-handed carry.The Ugly:Nothing.

Summary:- Like I stated in the headline - this is probably my favorite Ganzo Firebird knife ever (those who follow my blog know I had lots of those coming through my hands), so it means something.I like it the most probably due to the fact they implemented many features that me and other Ganzo knife fans have been telling them for a long time now (deep carry pocket clip, bearings with a G-Lock and to come up with original designs) and it feels so nice to see that a knife company has listened to what you wish for in a knife and act accordingly.Knife could be found here: Ganzo Firebird FB7601Ganzo Knives on Amazon with cheaper US shipping: Ganzo FB760 on AmazonCompetitive option: Benchmade Griptilian